Traditionally, various items of information are displayed in a vehicle, which visually illustrate for the driver in particular the operational data of the vehicle. Furthermore, traffic-related data may be displayed for the driver in the vehicle. In the past, analog mechanical display instruments were used to display this information. These were arranged in particular within the so-called instrument cluster in the vicinity of the driver's primary field of view behind the steering wheel. The instrument cluster is used in particular to indicate the speed, the fuel level, the radiator temperature and other operational information of the vehicle.
With the increase of electronic devices in the vehicle it became necessary to display a greater quantity of information in the vehicle. Modern vehicles comprise for example a plurality of driver assistance systems, the information of which must be displayed in the vehicle. Furthermore, vehicles often include a navigation system. Such a navigation system is able to display digital geographic road maps including a route and possibly various additional information. Finally, modern vehicles often include communication and multimedia applications, including a mobile telephone interface and devices for playing back music and voice. These applications also require the possibility of displaying information in the vehicle.
For this reason, multifunction operating systems are used, which include one or more multifunction display(s) and operating elements, by which the manifold devices in the vehicle may be operated. For this purpose, the operation is supported or guided by the information represented on the multifunction display. Furthermore, it is possible to select via the operating system which information is to be displayed on the multifunction display.
In order to be able to display the manifold information in a flexible manner, freely programmable displays are used for example, which often also take over the display of traditional mechanical instruments. German Published Patent Application No. 10 2006 032 118 describes an instrument cluster for a motor vehicle for example, which includes a display that is able to indicate variably the speed of the motor vehicle, the rotational speed of the engine of the motor vehicle, the temperature of the engine of the motor vehicle, the fuel level and/or the time. Furthermore, it is possible to display information of a navigation system, a telephone, a music system, an infotainment system and/or an air conditioning system.
In addition to the instrument cluster, a display device is often situated above the center console of the vehicle, via which additional information may be displayed. This display device is used in particular as a multifunction display and for representing a geographic map of a navigation system. Such a multifunction display is described, for example, in German Published Patent Application No. 199 41 956.
The multifunction displays are operated in connection with an operating system that may comprise various operating elements. German Published Patent Application No. 199 41 956, for example, provides for multiple selection and function buttons for controlling the vehicle devices. German Published Patent Application No. 199 41 960 on the other hand describes a multifunction operating element for selecting function groups and individual functions, which includes a bidirectionally rotatable cylinder, which is furthermore movable perpendicular to the axis of rotation.
Furthermore, a multifunction operating device is described in European Published Patent Application No. 0 366 132, in which the selection of function groups and the selection of individual functions occurs by a rotary pushbutton, in which the switch may be operated in the direction of the axis of rotation. German Published Patent Application No. 199 44 324 describes a multifunction operating device having a rotary switch for selecting functions that are representable within a display area of a display. Pushbutton switches are situated around the rotary switch, which are also associated with display areas of the display. Finally, an operating device for controlling vehicle devices is described in German Published Patent Application No. 103 24 579, which has a touch-sensitive operating area.
Aside from the separated operating elements described above, there has also been a provision to equip the display itself with a touch-sensitive surface and in this manner to provide a so-called touch screen. Such a touch screen is operated in that the user touches the touch screen e.g. using his fingertip. The position of the touch is detected, evaluated and associated with an operating step. Virtual switches may be represented as graphical buttons on the display to assist the user in the operation. A display device having a touch-sensitive surface, which is used in connection with a navigation system, is described in German Published Patent Application No. 10 2005 020 155 for example. The display of information in a vehicle and the operation of the manifold devices of the vehicle entail very specific requirements. In the vehicle, it is the driver, among others, who takes in the information and performs the operations. The information should thus be represented in the vehicle such that while taking in the information the driver is not distracted from driving. The driver should therefore be able to grasp the represented information intuitively and quickly such that he has to take his eyes off the driving action only very briefly when taking in the information. Likewise, the operation of the vehicle devices should be as simple and intuitive as possible such that the driver is able to operate the devices even while driving. If the operation is supported or guided by a display, then the display should occur such that the driver has to view the display only very briefly in order to carry out the operation.
The representation of information in a vehicle often occurs in that a portion of the total information is displayed in the display area in the vehicle and that the user is able to change the portion. The total information may be a list having a plurality of list entries for example. A portion of the entries of the entire list is displayed. By an operator action, the user is able to produce a scrolling action so as to display other list entries. In the operator action, the user may perform for example an operator movement of a certain extent. The user may furthermore actuate an operating element for a certain operating duration. The magnitude or the measure of the change of the displayed information, i.e. in this case the number of items, by which the displayed list entries change, depends in this case on the extent of the operator movement or on the operating duration. The magnitude of this change furthermore depends on the magnification factor at which the list is displayed. For if e.g. four list entries are shown in a specific display area, the change of the displayed information is smaller at a specific extent of the operator movement or a specific operating duration than in the case in which six list entries are shown for the operator action in the respective display area. The operator action is especially intuitive for the user particularly if the extent of the operator movement determines the magnitude of the change of the list since the represented list is moved by the operator movement in a specific direction, the position of the displayed list entries changing less in the case of a greater magnification factor than in the case of a smaller magnification factor.
It should be noted that the magnification factor is relative to an arbitrarily selectable basic representation scale. The magnification factor may be greater than, smaller than or equal to one such that it also includes reduction relative to the basic scale.
If the total information comprises a very large quantity of data such as e.g. a very long list having many entries, this results in the problem that the operator action for scrolling to very distant list entries requires much time and attention on the part of the user. In the application in a vehicle, however, this is disadvantageous, as explained above.
If a list entry is selected in order to display the elements associated with the list entry, then the displayed information changes to a lower hierarchy level and shows the elements again in a list. If the display area is insufficient to display all elements, again only a portion of the elements will be displayed. The user is able to change the displayed portion of elements by a scrolling action. If the user wants to select another list entry, he must usually first navigate back to the list with the list entries and then select the desired list entry. The selection of another list entry therefore requires multiple operating steps. Therefore, this case also poses the problem that the operation requires much time and attention on the part of the driver, which is disadvantageous in the application in a vehicle.